The cycle of human-made content vehicles has gone a full circle.
Here are the 3 eras of the first full cycle:
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Era 1: Storytellers by the campfire, telling stories to their community (mmm)
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Era 2: Print media printed in factories, distributing stories to readers (okay
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Era 3: Online media operated with a traditional publishing model, pushing stories to users (what)
The next cycle will begin with Era 4, and the way it will happen is somewhat unpredictable.
Here’s my prediction on how it can be described:
- Era 4: Storycreators gathered on the internet & offline, creating stories that empower their tribes, amplified through unimaginable technology (hmmm?)
Era 4 will look almost the same as Era 1. Why is this so?
Two logical reasons:
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Stories will be again told by people with faces and voices (instead of faceless and voiceless corporations and media publishers).
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There will be more people again sharing their stories (sometimes by the campfire or on the internet. Mostly on the internet. At first.).
There is a slight difference though where a new element jumps into action:
No more: Stories told about the past Stories created mostly from: The visions of the future.
The tools used for crafting? Imagination + technology.
First, you imagine in your mind what you wish to breathe into life.
Then you use technology to make that happen.
Sovereign financial self-control for the masses? Done with decentralized technology & code.
The possibility to express yourself, create any kind of art, and reach the whole world? Done with social platforms – leveraged with web 3.0 social platforms.
How Do I Start Pioneering a Frontier in Era 4?
To ride the wave of this Era 4 where the story creators will be rewarded, feel free to walk these steps to empower your global tribe:
Step 0: Let Go of Point-of-View (LG POV):
Start by recognizing how current POVs are keeping the human race from advancing. We chase after unique benefits and features of products and services, but what are we looking for? It’s usually a connection. And connection only happens when there is no point-of-view such as you and me, your country and society, inside and outside, etc.
When you Let Go of your point-of-view, you can finally merge with your environment and use your brain like Einstein and Tesla: Receiving the marvelous ideas that help you discover, explore, and pioneer a new frontier.
What takes charge after you Let Go of your POV? It’s questions you would naturally ask when encountering something for the first time. Let’s illustrate why it’s this way by looking at the 3 levels of venture thinking:
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Level 2: Mimicking
Used by companies advertising their stuff as harder better faster stronger, like +99% of brands you see while scrolling on social media
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Level 1: First Principles Thinking
Used by companies stating what they stand for and creating radically different solutions and new categories, like Apple’s Think Different or Netflix's See What's Next
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Level 0: Zeroth Principles Thinking
Used by ‘companies’ who don’t have any assumptions about the state of things and start aiming at goals that are currently unseen, detached from traditional incentives and structures.
Here are the corresponding point-of-view levels:
Mimicking: We are just like everyone else but a little better! Let’s compete!
First Principles Thinking: We see the world in our own way. Let’s do something different.
Zeroth Principles Thinking: Who are we and what is this world? What is being hidden?
Scale From Effort To Letting Go
Notice how by moving down, the tone changes from:
A) a person shouting at the top of their lungs just to get attention…
B) to a whisperer who says psssst – you’ve never seen anything like this…
C) to a curious child who just wonders aloud and wanders guided by their questions.
By moving down, you UNLEARN a bunch of stuff you’ve picked up by modeling behavior around you.
It’s re-invention, discovery & letting go at the same time.
That’s your first step of the journey.
Step 1: Give A Name To What Is Emerging
This one is a short recipe:
- Describe the frontier you are pioneering with words by giving it a name
- Write down what is sacred to the tribe in the future after your new frontier has emerged:
- Values, principles, forms of sharing & caring, and helping your frontier to blossom
- Extra tip for multisensory creators: Add flavor by playing around with color palettes to see which ones fit your new frontier. Expand on this by taking Step 3:
Step 2: Use Forms of Strategic Art To Illustrate Your Frontier
While the possibilities of language are rich enough for most use cases like making a new product category stand out, a frontier requires Forms of Strategic Art (for illustration purposes).
What kind of art is strategic?
It needs to ‘move us’ in a way where we naturally choose to participate or ignore the frontier.
A few ideas to get you started:
- Draw and write simple but emotionally evocable memes with weird humour
- Draw characters who represent your frontier
- Make a song about your new frontier
Step 3: Let The Show Stand Still Through Setting The Stage
By now you might feel a rush to get the show started.
That’s your mind talking – as human beings, we’re hardwired to act on exciting ideas, expecting more dopamine to be released.
Let’s do the opposite and Let The Show Stand Still.
According to brain researchers, sleeping between sessions of playing Tetris improves your skills. Sleep sort of sets the stage for the next round of creative pursuit.
The correspondent acted to set the stage when pioneering a new frontier.
Is doing nothing.
Absolutely nada.
Just engage in something different for a while – even if you are a big team participating in this process, maybe especially so if that’s the case.
Step 4: Play Together and Blend Creators of the Game & Users
Since your frontier has no idea where it’s taking itself, a significant part of your process should involve playing together with users.
Yep, I stole this concept from the Twitch Streamers who previously promoted somewhat innovative crypto-friendly iGaming brands like Stake.com and WeGot.Game before Twitch expanded their ban of livestream gambling content. Web 3.0 has a long way to go!
So, if you can’t play per se with your users, what do you do?
Start-ups often develop their MVP into great products by having a constant dialogue with users, but you should take this one step further.
You see, pioneering a frontier is not about…
…building a great or different product OR
…building a great or different company OR
…any outcome at all?
Yes. Forget the outcome.
Thought of building an MVP before showing it to the users? Just help them first by whichever way FEELS RIGHT to you, and you might create a different MVP if you still want to do that.
Thought of steering your company with a board of directors and management team? Just give away ownership to people who show commitment to co-pioneering the new frontier.
Start playing together with your users and FORGET THE RULES of the game.
Rest assured: As long as you’re having fun, something incredible will take place.
Step 5: Meet & Celebrate Your Tribe
It’s time to celebrate the birth of your frontier.
Throw a big party with your Tribe to bring everyone together (this can be online or offline).
Foster a sense of belonging by lifting up everyone who has taken part so far (go through accomplishments & courageous acts in good spirit).
Encourage people to express their inner child at the party & share what they learned on this journey so far!